The present invention relates to a citrus flavor comprising a flavorous component and a stabilizing component. The flavorous component is produced from a cold pressed oil which is prepared from citrus fruits. The stabilizing component comprises coumarin analogues obtained from a cold pressed oil. The flavorous component is preferably an aroma component obtained from the low-boiling fractions of the cold pressed oil or a washed oil obtained by an extraction process of the cold pressed oil. Particularly, the present invention relates to an extremely stable citrus flavor obtained by adding a particular stabilizing component which comprises a mixture of cumarin analogues, obtained by removing oxidation promoting substances existing in high-boiling fractions of the cold pressed oil, and the above aroma component or washed oil.
The present invention also relates to a processed food and drink product having these citrus flavors.
It has been known that organic substances such as oil and fats are denatured by oxygen and heat, deteriorating the qualities inherent to the organic substances. It has been known that a citrus essential oil which is widely adopted as natural flavor is also damaged by heat or the like as well as oxygen in air (e.g., Food Industries, vol. 32, No. 22, pp32-33). In order to decrease such oxidation as greatly as possible, an attempt is made to exploit a well known antioxidant, for example, tocopherol (described in the same reference as above). However, such an attempt has the problem that not only a relatively large amount of alpha-tocopherol must be used, but also the degree of increase in off-flavor components is high and unsatisfactory.
In the meantime, conventional techniques for the preparation of a compound having anti-oxidizing ability by using a citrus as starting material have been developed. For example, it is reported in JP-A-7-138250 that a new coumarin analogue is extracted from citrus as starting material by using a proper alkali or acid. However, this method has a disadvantage that even if such an antioxidant is used, the citrus flavor is stabilized insufficiently and it is difficult to prepare the antioxidant in a large amount. Also, when ascorbic acid is used, there is the case where it causes browning depending upon the type of processed food product.
Flavors are mostly added to and compounded in processed food products to meet recent requirements for the tastes of consumers. However, there is a problem of food flavors, used in the processing of food products, being deteriorated during the production or storage of the processed food product. This deterioration results in a spoiled taste of the processed food product. An attempt to use the aforementioned well-known antioxidant, such as BHT, alpha-tocopherol or ascorbic acid, has been made with the intention of stabilizing these processed food flavors. However, BHT and alpha-tocopherol can prevent the deterioration of the food flavors only insufficiently. Ascorbic acid sometimes causes browning depending on the type of processed food product. Furthermore, there is a fear that BHT occasionally has an adverse effect on the human body.
There is, therefore, a demand for a stabilizing agent for food flavors which prevents the deterioration of the food flavor while not damaging the outward appearance of the processed food product.
The inventors of the present invention have aimed at the development of techniques for improving the stability of citrus flavors since the citrus flavor is widely used as food flavors.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to find techniques for improving the stability of aroma components or water soluble citrus extracts obtained from citrus cold pressed oil.
It is another object of the present invention is to provide a citrus flavor, which is applied to processed food and drink products, having a high stability.
It is a further object of the present invention is to provide a citrus flavor which does not impair the taste and outward appearance of processed food and drink products.
The inventors of the present invention have focused on a cold pressed oil prepared from citrus fruits which have been widely known. This inventors have made earnest studies to prepare citrus flavors which are more stable and found that a fraction obtained by first eluting high-boiling parts of the cold pressed oil, which conventionally has little utility value and are mostly disposed, with a non-polar solvent by using a silica gel column, followed by eluting these parts with a polar solvent has an effect of remarkably improving the stability, while other fractions have no effect of improving the stability but an adverse effect on the stability.
Briefly stated, the present invention provides a citrus flavor has at least one of an aroma component and a water soluble citrus extract component. The citrus flavor further includes a stabilizing component. The aroma component is obtained from a low-boiling part of a cold pressed oil. The water soluble citrus extract component is obtained from a cold pressed oil by an extraction using a hydrate alcohol solvent. The stabilizing component includes a mixture of coumarin analogues obtained from a cold pressed oil. The resulting citrus flavor has a high stability.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a citrus flavor having one of an aroma component and a water soluble citrus extract, the aroma component obtained from a low-boiling part of a cold pressed oil, the water soluble citrus extract obtained from a cold pressed oil by an extraction using a hydrate alcohol solvent, and a stabilizing component comprising at least one coumarin analogue obtained from a cold pressed oil.
The above, and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals designate the same elements.